Gena Rowlands, The Notebook And A Woman Under The Influence Actress, Dies At 94

Gena Rowlands, the acclaimed actress, three-time Emmy winner and dual Oscar nominee, died on August 14 at her home in Indian Wells, California. Her death was confirmed on Wednesday by representatives for her son, the filmmaker Nick Cassavetes. He revealed earlier this year that his mother had Alzheimer’s disease. She was 94 when she breathed her last. Rowlands was hailed as one of the greatest actresses to practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and later charmed audiences in her son's directorial, The Notebook.

Who was Gena Rowlands?

Gena Rowlands' career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She along with her first husband John created some hit movies such as A Woman Under the Influence, Gloria and Faces, shedding light on the struggles of the working class. In Woman Under the Influence, she played a lower middle-class housewife who, the actress said, "was totally vulnerable and giving; she had no sense of her own worth." In Gloria, she portrayed a faded showgirl menaced by her ex-boyfriend, a mobster boss. Owing to her remarkable performance in both films, she earned Academy Award nominations.

Although she didn't win the Academy Awards for either role, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in 2015 for her contribution to American cinema.

In addition to the Oscar nominations, Rowlands earned three Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance in dramas, The Betty Ford Story, Hysterical Blindness and Face of a Stranger.

Gena Rowlands was last seen in...

In her later years, Rowlands made several appearances in films and TV, including in The Skeleton Key and the detective series Monk. Her last appearance in a movie was in 2014, playing a retiree who befriends her gay dance instructor in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.

With AP Inputs